29 September 2023 , 16:28
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Ex-Manchester United favourite Javier Hernandez has reflected on his brief Real Madrid spell, while heaping praise on the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo in the dressing room.
The former Old Trafford stars teamed up for a fleeting period in the Spanish capital during 2014-15, when Mexican forward Hernandez spent the year there on loan. Frozen out by then-Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal, he would strike up a temporary partnership with Ronaldo in Madrid.
The duo's spells at United failed to overlap, with the striker known as 'Chicharito' having arrived a couple of summers after Portuguese superstar departed. Now, Hernandez has given his own perspective on what it was like to team up with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in La Liga and rejected the theory that Ronaldo was in any way "difficult" in the dressing room.
"Cristiano [Ronaldo] was phenomenal in the locker room and also in his way of being," Hernandez told Paramount+. "I don't think I have met or seen a player who has come out to say that Cristiano is a difficult or complicated person.
"Cris is Cris. We know his personality and competitiveness, but as a team-mate that is one of the things you cannot take away."
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Admitting that things were far from easy when he first arrived in Madrid, the LAFC forward has recalled the stint in a wide-ranging interview. He would go on to to score nine times in 39 appearances in all competitions but he struggled to make his mark early on.
He admitted: "I always divided it as the first six months being very complicated because I played practically nothing. Some unfortunate injuries arose and I was given an opportunity in the second part, which was extraordinary and unique."
Looking back on his spell at Santiago Bernabeu, he also was open about being mesmerised by the might of Ronaldo's performances at the time. During one of his many phenomenal campaigns with Madrid, Ronaldo notched a staggering 61 goals in 51 outings.
Cristiano Ronaldo made a major impression on Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez during their brief time together at Santiago Bernabeu (Real Madrid via Getty Images)Despite Ronaldo's goalscoring exploits that season, Los Blancos would end up falling short in both the Champions League and La Liga. However, both players would have the consolation of walking away with winners' medals in the FIFA Club World Cup to look back on.
This is not the first time that Hernandez has looked back on his glittering career at club level, with the Mexican having explained the reasons behind his Old Trafford exit. Speaking back in 2016, he explained the role Wayne Rooney inadvertently had on his eventual departure on loan.
He said: "When I left, he [then-United manager Louis van Gaal] told me my chances and my opportunities were going to be less because his main striker was going to be Wayne Rooney. If he wasn’t fit, for example, I was going to play, but when he was ready, he would play,” he said in 2016.